Dear Trees…I want you to teach me….

I have long known that the trees, the forest……..any group of trees….those are my people. 🙂 Last week when Lara picked me up at the airport and we started the drive to her “magic forest”…I had no idea what to expect…but it exceeded all of my expectations.

Before we headed to the coast last week for our photography retreat, Lara took me to her house because she had a vision for a photo shoot she wanted to do…I would dress up in a costume she cooked up and it would be magical. I’m pretty adventurous so I was all for it…

We started out draping me in green, and then in ivy and moss…it was such a total blast…I love dressing up and it was one of the most unforgettable and wonderful memories of my life…..

I think one of the most loving things you can do for another human being is to truly “SEE” them…I am not talking about noticing their hair or their funky new shoes…I am talking about really SEEing who she is…what she is about…what she yearns for…what scares her…what she is made of…what she is gifted at….what she is learning…what she has already learned….how absolutely heartbreakingly brilliant her spirit is…..

Lara has the gift of doing this. She does it through her camera lens and she does it through her words. She does it through being SO PRESENT when you are talking eye to eye with her…and she did it for me. I feel like she really SEEs me. I feel like she works hard to see everyone she loves, and everyone she comes across in the world…and because I try so hard to to the same…she taught me so much about it and made me want to try even harder.

Lara, and the hours of conversations I had with her was a catalyst in my decision to unplug for the summer to make art and write. She could SEE me, and she could see that I needed to get quiet. She helped me to be brave enough to make the decision that I made.

I woke up at her house in a room in the corner of the house with windows on both sides. I was surrounded by trees. It is how I feel most at home, safest and most “understood” somehow…I know it sounds silly…but the trees are my people and it was such a gift she gave to me to let me be in her forest, but also to “capture” ME. To SEE me. I love all of the photos and you can see a whole bunch more of them here….but I wanted you to see my favorite one of all…and the little poem I wrote when I saw it…

Thank you, Lara Blair. I will love you forever and I count you as one of the greatest gifts of my life.

Dear sweet tree, you have stood there always

and you have grown so tall with such grace

and I want you to be my teacher.

I want you to teach me how to stand, rooted, proud of who I am.

and how to keep standing when the wind blows

and when Winter comes and strips me of my leaves.

I want you to teach me to grow brand new buds

and then the blossoms, and then the fruits

and then let them go so that others can enjoy them.

I want you to teach me that sometimes I get to make shade for others

and sometimes my limbs are too bare

and that there is a season for all of it, no matter what.

I want you to teach me that I am not something else

I am what I am, and I can do what I can do

and I already am what I am, and I know how to do what I can do.

I want you to teach me to grow toward the sky, limbs outstretched

sometimes even being a home for birds or squirrels

and that my branches are strong enough to hold a few others sometimes.

I want you to teach me that I will stand stronger when my roots are intertwined

with the roots of those who stand next to me

but that I will make it ok if I am in a field all alone, too.

I want you to teach me to feel beautiful when I am covered with blossoms

and when I am covered with leaves, and when my leaves turn red

but especially when my leaves fall off for a season, leaving me raw and exposed.

I want you to teach me to be still in the sunshine

and still in the snow, and still in the wind

I want you to teach me to stand tall and with grace.

Will you teach me?

xoxo…back I go to my quiet life.

missing people today…lots…but I know I can do this, it is so good…so worth it.

sending love,

melody

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Your poem is so heartfelt and full of love, mel. I used to be a poet, 40 YEARS AGO and only recently, once on the beach and once on a country backroad, I was inspired to write poetry again! Unavoidable, isn’t it? Because nature speaks to so many of us and we must take the time to listen to what she has to say!!! Reading this post about the special relationship you have with the trees reminded me (again, as you often do) that this is a connection that is so near and dear to my heart… and it completes me!
Lara is the kind of friend that everyone should have and I’m so glad you have each other! That is a priceless gift and I’m so glad you were ready to listen to what she had to say ~ truly a blessing from god. And I must say that I feel blessed to be a part of this circle of light and love!
XOX

WOW! Really I don’t know what to say! Pictures, Poem, You, Your Amazing Friend, just everything about this post. Reading it brought tears to my eyes. I just LOVE you! What an Incredible Inspiration you are to me! I honestly can’t wait for SR2 to see what changes are in store for me! I am ready, excited and can’t even imagine what changes are coming for me…Let the fun begin 🙂

I am almost at a loss for words, Melody – this is such a beautiful post. I love the way you have described your precious friend Lara…, what a beautiful soul she must have. She sounds like such a wonderful friend. What more can a girl ask for than to be seen – truly SEEN – and loved, fully and unconditionally, just as we are? And at the same time, be supported, challenged, encouraged to keep pushing forward, to keep growing and learning and letting go of those old destructive patterns. And the poem you wrote…never did I understand why I love trees so much until I read your poem, and then it just clicked. YES! Yes! I want to be and do all of those things, just like the trees! I feel like I belong in the forest…and here I am in the desert. The photos your friend took of you are stunning. Really, there are no words to describe how incredible they are. Thank you so much for sharing. xo